glossary

angler talk,
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136 terms, from the bank to open sea.

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Action (of the rod): The point where the rod bends under load. Fast action bends only at the tip and gives a dry hookset; moderate action bends down to the middle and forgives more.
Assist hook: Hook attached by a fiber cord to the head of a metal jig.
Backing: Thin, strong line wound under the fly line, as a reserve for when the fish runs far.
Backwater: A stretch of calmer water beside or behind the current, where fish rest.
Bag limit: Maximum amount of fish, in kilos or units, that a recreational angler may keep.
Bait seller (isqueiro): A person who catches and sells live bait, such as tuvira and lambari.
Baitcasting reel: Rotating-spool reel mounted on the rod. It gives precision and power, but requires thumb control.
Banzeiro: Waves formed by wind or by passing boats, common on Amazon rivers.
Barb: Reverse barb on the hook that holds the fish. Flattened with pliers, it makes release easier.
Barotrauma: Injury to deep-water fish brought up quickly to the surface: the swim bladder swells and the fish cannot descend on its own.
Bay (Pantanal): Freshwater lake on the Pantanal plain, permanent or temporary, that fills in the high water and can dry out or become isolated in the dry season.
Bird's nest (tangle): Line tangle on the spool of a baitcasting reel when it spins faster than the line leaves; on a spinning reel, loose coils that bunch up.
Black water (tannic): Tea-colored water, acidic and poor in sediment, tinted by organic matter from the forest. Typical of the Negro River.
Blank: The body of the rod, without guides or handle. The length, action, line rating and lure weight are engraved on it.
Boga grip: Hand-held forceps that hold the fish by the mouth. Same as a boga grip.
Braided line: Braided line of several polyethylene strands. Thin, strong and almost without stretch; needs a leader.
Breakaway line: Section of weaker line that holds the sinker. If you snag, only the sinker is lost.
Caniço (cane pole): Simple rod, without reel, with the line tied to the tip.
Cast net: Round throw net used to catch bait. Its use is regulated and banned in various places and seasons.
Catch and release: The practice of returning a live fish to the water right after catching it. In several rivers and for some species it is mandatory.
Chalana: Typical Pantanal hotel boat, which takes anglers and tows the fishing boats.
Channel 16: Distress and calling channel of the marine VHF radio.
Chicote (bottom rig): Rig with the sinker at the end and one to three hooks on droppers above it. Standard for surf and bottom fishing at sea.
CHIRP: Sonar technology that emits a band of frequencies instead of just one. It separates fish better and shows more detail.
Chum: Throwing food into the water (corn, feed, dough) to attract and hold fish at one spot. It is banned in some places.
Circle hook: Hook with the point turned toward the shank that sets itself in the corner of the mouth. Reduces throat hooking and makes catch and release easier.
Closed season: Period when fishing for certain species or in certain areas is banned or restricted to protect reproduction. Dates and rules vary by basin, state and species.
Cold front: Advance of a cold air mass, with a wind shift, rain and a drop in temperature. Before it, fish usually feed; after it, they stop for one to three days.
Confidence (of the forecast): How much you can trust the forecast for a given day. It falls with distance and when the models disagree. It is not the chance of catching fish.
Continental slope: Edge of the continental shelf, where the bottom drops quickly to great depths. Area of oceanic fish.
Corixo: Natural channel that links bays and rivers in the Pantanal and drains the water in the high water; some flow all year.
Deep hole: The deepest stretch of the river, usually at bends or below rapids. It concentrates fish in the dry season and in the cold.
Descending device: Weighted device that takes a fish with barotrauma back down to depth and releases it there.
Down imaging: High-frequency sonar image that draws in detail what is below the boat.
Drag: Reel system that lets line run out under set tension, so the fish can run without breaking the line.
Drift fishing: Bottom fishing in a river with the boat drifting down and natural bait dragging on the bottom, in constant contact with the sinker. Classic for pintado and cachara.
Dry season: Low-water period. Fish concentrate in the river, lakes and pools; it is usually the best time for predators.
Ebb (tide): Tide going out. On the river, the fall of the water level after high water.
Estuary: Where the river meets the sea, with brackish water and tide. Nursery for snook, croaker and shrimp.
Feeder float: Spring float that holds bait or feed, with hooks around it. You chum and fish at the same time at the fishing pond.
Fishing index: A score from 0 to 100 that the app gives to the fishing conditions for each hour, for a species and a place. It reads weather, sun, moon, tide and the species' behavior. It does not promise fish: it says when the water is in your favor. 0–24 poor, 25–44 fair, 45–64 good, 65–84 very good, 85–100 excellent.
Fishing pond: Commercial fishing lake, also called pesque-pague (pay lake). At sea and on rivers, the word also means a fishing spot.
Flash flood: Sudden, violent rise of the river after heavy rain in the headwaters. Get off the bank and the riverbed at the first sign that the water is rising or turning murky.
Fluorocarbon: Fluorinated polymer line, discreet in the water, which sinks and resists abrasion. Mainly used as a leader.
Fly (fly fishing): Discipline in which a thick, heavy line carries an almost weightless fly. Rod, line and reel follow the same number.
Free spool: System on some reels that lets line out at minimal tension while the fish feeds; one turn of the handle returns to normal drag.
Friagem (cold spell): Entry of polar cold air that reaches the Pantanal, the Centre-West and the Amazon and drops the temperature for several days. Peacock bass and other tropical fish stop feeding.
Gaff: Hook on a handle for bringing a large fish that will be kept into the boat. Do not use it on a fish that will be released.
Global model (weather): Program that simulates the atmosphere of the whole planet and computes the weather for the coming hours and days. The app combines three: the European ECMWF, the American GFS and a high-resolution selection.
Guides: Rings along the rod that the line runs through. A bad or cracked guide cuts the line.
Gutter: A deeper channel between sandbanks on the beach, where fish pass to feed.
High tide: The highest level of the tide.
High water: Period of high water. Fish spread through the forest and the flooded fields.
Hotel boat: A vessel with accommodation that takes anglers to the fishing spots and serves as a base during the trip.
Igapó: Forest flooded by black- or clear-water rivers in the Amazon during the high water. Fish enter it to feed and spread out.
Igarapé (creek): Narrow Amazon creek or channel. The mouth of an igarapé is a classic peacock bass spot.
IGFA: International association that sets equipment rules and ratifies sport fishing records.
Jig: Weighted lure, worked with jerks and drops. It can be feathered, lead with soft plastic, or metal.
Jig head: Hook with a molded lead head, on which a soft bait is rigged.
Landing net: Hand net with a hoop and handle for bringing the fish aboard.
Leader: Final section of stronger or less visible line between the main line and the lure. It protects against teeth, rocks and logs.
Ledge: Flat rock formation on the bottom or breaking the surface. A spot for grouper, badejo and passing fish.
Lip: It can be the hook's barb, which stops the fish from getting free, or the lip in front of the artificial lure that makes it dive.
Live bait: Natural bait kept alive, such as lambari, tuvira, shrimp and sardine. The movement attracts predators.
Live sonar: Sonar that shows fish and bait in front of or below the boat in real time, like video.
Low tide: The lowest level of the tide.
Mangrove: Vegetation with aerial roots in brackish water, on estuary banks. A snook spot.
Minimum size: The shortest length allowed for keeping a species; a fish below it must be released. Some species also have a maximum size.
Minnow: Elongated lure with a lip that imitates a small fish swimming.
Monofilament: Single-strand nylon line. Stretchy, cheap and easy to tie knots in.
Muddy water: Water loaded with sediment, with low visibility. Calls for lures in strong colors with vibration.
Neap tide: Smaller-range tide, at the first and last quarter moons: the water runs less.
Outrigger: Long poles on the sides of a trolling boat that spread the lines and let you drag more lures without tangling.
Paraná (Amazonia): River branch that splits off from the main channel and rejoins it farther on.
Parcel (reef): Rocky or coral rise on the sea floor, surrounded by deeper areas. It concentrates bottom fish.
Paternoster: International name for the chicote: sinker at the bottom and hooks on droppers above.
Pauleira (dense timber): Stretch with lots of sticks and submerged logs, common in the Amazon. A spot for peacock bass and trairão.
PE: Japanese numbering for braided line diameter. PE 1.0 is about 0.165 mm.
Piloteiro (fishing guide): Operator of the fishing boat and local guide, who knows the spots and the river.
Piracema (spawning closure): Reproductive migration of fish upriver in the rainy season. In most Center-South basins it runs from November to February and coincides with the closed season.
Popper: Surface lure with a concave mouth that clicks and splashes water with every rod tap.
Popping: Saltwater fishing with large surface lures (poppers and stickbaits) cast for tuna, bigeye trevally and crevalle jack.
Pound (lb): Unit used for line and rod strength. 1 lb equals 0.4536 kg.
Power (line rating): Range of line strength and lure weight the rod was built for, printed on the blank (e.g., 12–25 lb).
Propeller: Surface lure with propellers on the ends that splash and make noise on the retrieve.
Rapids: Stretch of shallow, fast river with rocks and churning water. Well oxygenated, it attracts golden dorado, piraputanga and matrinxã.
Ready-made rig: Ready-made terminal tackle, usually steel cable with a hook and swivel, used with natural bait for leather-skin fish and golden dorado.
Rebojo (eddy): Eddy or churning water behind rocks and bends of the rapids. A dorado hunting spot.
Receding water (Pantanal): Wide, shallow strip of field that carries water between bays and rivers at high water. The word also names the season when the water begins to fall.
Recreational fishing license: Federal authorization required for recreational fishing in Brazil, with exemption cases set out in the rule.
Repiquete (short rise): A quick, short rise of the river in the middle of the dry season, from rain in the headwaters. It scatters the fish and worsens fishing for a few days.
Retrieve ratio: How many turns the spool makes for each turn of the handle (e.g., 7.1:1). The higher, the faster the retrieve.
Rip current: Water flow that returns from the beach to the sea through a channel. It pulls anyone in the water toward the bottom.
Rising water: At sea, the tide coming in. On the river, the rise of the water level.
River beach: Sandbank that appears in the dry season, common in the Amazon and on the Araguaia. A peacock bass spot in the morning and late afternoon.
Riverbank (high bank): The high bank of a river. Fishing from the barranco means fishing from the shore or with the boat tied to it, usually with natural bait.
Rocky shore: Rocky slope on the seaside. It yields grouper, sargo and snook, but it is the most dangerous spot on the coast.
Sarandí: Riverbank shrub that forms clumps in the water during high water, common in the Pantanal and in the Paraná and Uruguay basins. Shelter for fish and bait.
Shad: Soft bait shaped like a small fish, with a paddle tail that vibrates when swimming.
Shipwreck: A sunken hull that becomes an artificial reef and attracts bottom and mid-water fish.
Shock leader: A length of heavy monofilament at the end of the line for surf fishing, which absorbs the jolt of the cast with a heavy sinker.
Side imaging: Sonar image that sweeps the sides of the boat and shows a wide strip of the bottom.
Simulation (ensemble): Each of the 31 versions of the GEFS model, run with small differences in the starting point. If 20 of the 31 forecast rain, the chance of rain is about 65%. Not to be confused with drift fishing, the fishing technique.
Slack tide: Short interval when the tide stops running, at the turn between rising and falling. Fish usually stop feeding.
Slow pitch: Jigging style with short, slow jerks in which the wide, flat jig glides on the fall. The fish strikes while it falls.
Snap: Snap clip for quickly changing artificial lures.
Soft: Soft artificial lure, of silicone or plastic, such as shad, grub, worm and shrimp.
Solunar: John Alden Knight's theory (1926): fish feed more when the moon is at its zenith or nadir (longer periods, about 2 h) and when it rises or sets (shorter, about 1 h). In the app it is one factor among several, not the whole forecast.
Sonar: A device that emits sound in the water and reads the echo to show depth, bottom type, structure and fish.
Speed jigging: Vertical jigging with fast jerks and continuous retrieve, using long metal jigs.
Spinning reel: Fixed-spool reel (spinning reel): the line leaves from the front without the spool turning. Easy to use and tangle-free.
Split ring: A double spiral ring that joins treble hooks and hooks to the lure.
Spring tide: Greater-range tide, at the new and full moons: higher high tide, lower low tide and stronger current.
Stillfishing: Fishing with the rod still in a holder and natural bait on the bottom, waiting for a fish to bite.
Strip: Retrieving the fly line by pulling with your hand. The strip set (pulling the line to set the hook) is the standard for peacock bass and dorado.
Structure: Anything that changes the bottom or the bank and shelters fish: rock, log, point, ledge, bridge, vegetation.
Submerged timber: Group of submerged branches and trunks. It shelters fish and holds lures.
Surf casting: Beach fishing with a long rod and a heavy sinker cast beyond the surf.
Surf zone: Strip where the waves break on the beach.
Swivel: Rotating-axle part that prevents line twist. Also called a swivel.
Tapping: Technique of tapping the rod tip on the water to imitate a falling fruit or insect, attracting pacu, piraputanga and other fish.
Teaser: A lure without a hook dragged behind the boat on the corrico to attract billfish closer to the hooked baits.
Thermocline: The layer where water temperature drops quickly with depth. In reservoirs, the water below it usually has little oxygen, and fish stay above it or in it.
Tide table: Table with times and heights of high and low tide for each place and day.
Tippet: Fine, replaceable tip of the fly leader, where the fly is tied. Numbered in X: the higher the number, the finer.
Treble hook: Three-pronged hook used on artificial lures.
Trend (forecast): Beyond 16 days, hour-by-hour forecasting is not possible. The trend shows the likely direction of temperature, rain and cold fronts based on 31 runs of the American GEFS model. Confirm it when 1 week is left.
Trolling: Fishing by trolling baits behind a moving boat.
Upwelling: Rise of cold, nutrient-rich water from the bottom to the surface, as at Cabo Frio. It changes the temperature and the fishing from one hour to the next.
Várzea (floodplain): Plain that floods during high water along river banks. In the Amazon, it is the area flooded by muddy-water rivers, rich in lakes.
Virtual anchor: Function of the electric motor that uses GPS to hold the boat still at a spot without dropping an anchor.
Voadeira: Aluminum boat with an outboard motor, used for fishing and transport in the Amazon.
WF (weight forward): Fly-line profile with the weight concentrated at the front. The most used.
Window: Consecutive hours with the index near the day's peak and no danger alert. It is the time to have the bait in the water.
Wire rig (encastoado): Hook or bait attached to steel wire, for fish that cut nylon, such as golden dorado, piranha and mackerel.
Zara: Surface lure without a lip that walks in a zigzag with rod-tip taps (walking the dog).